McLaren Cars celebrated 30 years of carbon fiber technology at Silverstone in March when a small group of journalists were able to test the prototype of the brand-new MP4-12C, the first car in the under £200,000 category with a carbon fiber chassis.
Vintage Racecar’s European Editor Ed McDonough was behind the wheel of the “world’s fastest car in its class” at the Northamptonshire circuit as John Watson and John Barnard looked on. Barnard designed the McLaren MP4/1 Grand Prix car with which Watson won the British Grand Prix in 1981, and in which he proved the safety of the carbon fiber monocoque by emerging unhurt from a huge crash at Monza that year.
VR’s Mike Jiggle also got behind the wheel of the MP4-12C, and is preparing a full feature on the carbon fiber story for a future issue.
